


The Camp

by kradam_12321 (kay_elizabeth_roxx)



Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), American Idol RPF, Kris Allen (Musician)
Genre: M/M, Medieval
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-18
Updated: 2010-04-22
Packaged: 2017-10-10 12:47:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/99941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kay_elizabeth_roxx/pseuds/kradam_12321
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam listened to what was to be his task, stomach sickly flipping. The disgrace of King Neil Allen, through Kristopher-- the boy that still lingered, like a sweet shadow, in his mind-- will need to be final.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Adam Lambert drew his bowstring taut, looking down the length of his arm at the target carved into the large tree across meadow. The bark was gouged and chipped with the impact of many an arrowhead, and, after a moment's pause, the dark-haired young man let another arrow fly.

Algernon, his proud chestnut stallion, didn't even startle as it struck the center of the target with a dull thunk, just a few feet away from where he was tethered, flipping his tail and grazing peacefully.

Footsteps rustling through the brush diverted the young man's attention, and he turned to see Mathew, a young Squire, pushing through the brush and into the clearing, brushing a nettle off his tunic as he went.

"Adam, it's dinner time. Must you wander so far from the grounds that I have to run and find you every evening?" he said, the complaint offset with a half-smile, and Adam laughed, trotting over to pull the arrow out of the tree trunk.

He was one of the few boys in The Camp that had his own horse--being the son of the King certainly had its benefits.

"Come on then," Adam smiled, slinging his bow and quiver over his shoulder, untethering Algernon, and swinging up onto his back. Mathew jumped up behind him, and Adam snapped the reins, directing his steed back towards The Camp.

~

The Camp. That was the only way to which it was referred--the most prestigious training camp in all of the kingdom, and the surrounding kingdoms as well.

The young heirs of the high families residing in his father's domain were sent to The Camp to be trained in the arts of swordsmanship, archery, and a slew of other skills, with the hope of receiving the honor of being knighted into his father's service at the end of their two year stay.

While Adam's knighting was inevitable, skills or no, (he was heir to the throne, after all,) he was the most skilled young man in the whole group, his accuracy with the bow deadly and his prowess with the blade unmatched.

It was known by all in The Camp that he was the only son of King Eber, and that status brought him something of a celebrity reputation there--but he was humble with admirers, taking the spotlight, when he did, with very little arrogance.

His appearance, however, certainly didn't give any clue to his humble nature-- his trousers and tunics were all of the finest silk, dyed in rich colors, and his calf-length leather riding boots were the finest to be found.

Nevertheless, his royal upbringing, while it might have left any other boy conceited, had not spoiled him.

~

Adam directed Algernon up through the gates and over to the long stone-wrought dining hall, dismounting and leaving him with the stable boy before entering the hall, followed by Mathew.

They sat down at the first of the long rectangular tables, next to Bradley and Cassidy, both sons of Lords: The heads of the various districts, and advisers to the King.

Bradley was in the midst of an indignant rant against their archery instructor--"I missed the target by a quarter of an inch, and that old oaf of a knight made me collect all the arrows off the field for it"--when Adams eyes caught on an unfamiliar figure sitting across the room: a small, pretty, tousle-haired young man of about sixteen, eating alone.

"Oh my. Adam's spotted the new meat," Cassidy declared, following his gaze and cutting Bradley off. "He showed up during our sparring practice. He's actually pretty decent. But I knew you would appreciate him for that pretty little mug of his," grinned Cassidy.

Any one of Adam's friends could tell you that he preferred the company of a man-- Adam had never tried to hide that fact, unlike many other young men his age that found themselves feeling the same.

For his father's kingdom had always been a safe haven for those who were attracted to their own sex, along with any other people considered "different"-- it was a place free from the discrimination that all of the surrounding kingdoms allowed, or even advocated.

Adam laughed, turning his attention away from the pretty brunette and back to his table. "Well, maybe we'll cross paths later."

~

 

Adam walked along the thin footpath to his favorite glade later in the day, after training was finished for the evening. He'd made sure to go and tend to Algernon in the stables, but had decided to go by foot to his destination-- it wasn't very far, after all, and he liked to relax in solitude.

He'd just settled down into the lush grass against the base of a proud, thick oak, when he heard someone stumbling through the brush.

He fully expected it to be Mathew, lumbering along as always, but the figure that came into the clearing, looking around doubtfully, his arms laden with wooden sparring swords, was none other than the new, handsome young man Adam had spotted at supper.

"Where might you be going?" Adam questioned, smiling in amusement as the boy startled and looked over at him, cheeks reddening a bit as he saw him sitting there.

"Oh.. Sir Daniel told me to deliver these back to the armory building, but I can't seem to... find it..." the boy replied, dropping his eyes as a blush rose across his cheeks.

Adam stood, brushing off his maroon-silk tunic and saying, half a smile on his bow lips, "Daniel is a bit of an oaf... He probably sent you in the wrong direction on purpose. He enjoys poking fun at newcomers. I'm Adam, by the way."

The boys face broke into realization, and he replied, "Sir Adam...? The King's son."

"Indeed," Adam smiled, "But not Sir. I'm much too young for that, I assure you," he laughed. "And not yet knighted."

"Okay, S- Adam," the boy agreed, blush deepening. "I'm Kristopher."

"Well, Kristopher," Adam said, walking over to him, "I'll show you to the armory myself, if Daniel cannot be trusted to."

"Thank you," Kristopher replied, smiling shyly as Adam took some of the sparring gear from his arms.

Adam led the way through the forest, Kristopher quietly following behind for a while before saying, "I have heard talk that you're the most skilled swordsman in the camp-- even more so than many of knights."

"I wouldn't give my skill that much weight," Adam replied as the trees thinned, then let way to the thin patch of clear meadow that funneled off from the main grounds.

They entered the long grey-stoned armory and left the swords in the correct place. Adam kept two in hand, however, and turned to Kristopher.

"Would you like a match, Kristopher?" Adam inquired, proffering one of the swords. "Cassidy tells me you are quite good with the blade."

"Um," Kris said, looking doubtfully at the wooden sword.

"Well, I suppose," he agreed after a moment, reaching out and taking the sword from Adam, a mixture of soft skin and rough calluses brushing across Adam's fingers.

They faced each other in the clearing outside the doorway, inclining their heads towards each other before beginning a slow circling, Adam raising one jesting, cocky eyebrow.

Kris' timid expression broke into an amused smile a moment before he darted forward with agile speed, sword flashing forward.

The wooden blades clicked thickly as they dodged around each other like the ebb and flow of the tides, laughing occasionally at an errant swing, panting and ducking.

Kris was quick on his feet, but Adam proved to have the advantage of both strength and skill--a few minutes later, Kris feinted left, guard slipping for only a moment, and he froze with the dull point of Adam's sword pressed to his chest.

"Good match, Kristopher," Adam smiled, meeting the deep brown eyes before him before sitting back against the stone wall of the armory, breaths heavy.

"You're as skilled a swordsman as they say," Kris said, sitting next to him.

Adam smiled and thanked him, before standing. "And I'll even show you the way back to camp," he grinned, offering his hand to Kris and pulling him up as the other young man laughed.

~

Kristopher settled in nicely with Adam's other friends, not even deterred by Cassidy's smug declaration of "I knew you would befriend the handsome one," to Adam upon introduction. Kristopher proved to be sweet and pure of heart, his brown eyes always bright for Adam.

Adam wondered, later, when he began to want him.

~

Adam watched as Kristopher drew his bowstring back, the muscles of his arms in tight definition for a split second before he released it, the arrow striking the hay target across the long archery clearing a millisecond later, shaft quivering.

"See, I told you I was improving," Kristopher smiled, slinging his bow over his shoulder as they walked back to their lodgings in The Camp.

Kristopher left his bow with one of the servants to return to his room, as Adam looked across the well-worn dirt path to the stables.

"Would you like to take a ride, Kristopher?" Adam asked, and Kristopher smiled his lopsided smile, saying, "As long as dear Algernon will bear me."

"Of course," Adam said, as they walked the short way to his stall, "Algernon bears anyone I wish him to."

"There's my boy," Adam smiled a minute later, opening the gate and rubbing Algernon's proud neck as the stallion nibbled at the sleeve of his tunic. "We're taking Kristopher down to the brook."

Adam led him out of the stall and mounted him bareback just outside. Kris swung up behind him in a graceful stretch of lithe muscles, laying his hands on Adam's waist as they set off at a brisk trot.

The wind ruffled Adam's raven hair as he breathed in the fresh, living scent of the forest. He could think of nothing he enjoyed more than riding bareback through the forest, his body shifting in time with Algernon's below him.

Soon they came to one of Adam's favorite spots-- a small break in the trees that ended in a steep drop, a merrily splashing brook at the bottom that cut through the forest like a winding silver ribbon.

"This is beautiful," Kristopher said, sitting down near the edge of the bank next to Adam, his face turned up to the sun.

The lines of his profile were gorgeous, and the want that had been lingering somewhere deep inside Adam bubbled to the surface.

Kristopher turned to look at him, lips parted to say something--but he paused when he met the intensity of Adam's gaze.

Adam threw caution to the wind, then, leaning to caress his fingertips across the sharp angles of the other boy's jawline.

"Would you be terribly offended if I told you what an utterly desirable man you are?" Adam quietly asked, pressing his thumb to Kristopher's lips and receiving the slightest caress in return.

"No," Kristopher replied after a moment, eyes dropping shyly before raising to meet Adam's again, hazy brown through the shafts of sunlight. "I find you quite the same."

The soft curve of his lips could no longer be resisted, and Adam leaned in to the other young man, loosely curving his hand around the back of his head as their lips finally met, deliciously-- desire, and something sweeter and softer, sparking between them.

Adam sighed into Kristopher's mouth as the other man laid his hands against his chest, fingers kneading a bit as his sweet, full lips parted for him, clinging and tasting.

"Wanted this," Adam murmured after a long, drugging minute, nudging him onto his back into the soft grass, nuzzling at his temple before pulling more kisses from his mouth.

Kristopher's warm hands slipped down his back and over the soft swell of his backside, pulling him closer, deeper, lips hot and sweet.

"Adam," Kristopher breathed, eyes gorgeously lidded with desire for a bare moment before they snapped open in alarm, frightened and wide.

"Oh no, I can't--" Kristopher protested, sitting up and trying to move away. Surprised, Adam grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Why, Kristopher?" he asked, cupping his cheek in his palm. "My father's land is a free one. We need not be afraid, darling. No one will protest."

Adam punctuated the last word with a deep, searching press of his lips, tongue sweetly teasing, and Kristopher melted into him for only a second before he abruptly jumped to his feet, expression horrified.

"No, you don't understand--" he said, helplessly looking down at the dark-haired beauty below him before running from the clearing, leaving Adam shocked in his wake.

~

Bradley and Cassidy had identical looks of puzzlement on their face after Adam told them what had happened with Kristopher that day.

"Why would he run? All the Lords in your father's kingdom are open to homosexuality-- whoever he hails from wouldn't punish him," Cassidy said, absently twirling a stem of grass between his nimble fingers.

"And anyone with two functioning eyes could tell what he thinks of you," Bradley added, plopping into Adam's lap. "But don't lose heart, darling-- there's always me."

"That's a frightening thought," Cassidy snickered, scurrying away as Bradley tried to tackle him. And Adam just sat as they ran about, looking out through the trees.

~

Adam cornered Kristopher behind the dining hall after supper the next day, pushing him against the wall and commanding him to listen, his eyes a steely gray.

"Why the bloody hell did you run from me?" Adam demanded, arms angrily crossed against his chest. "If you weren't receptive to my advances you should not have let me."

"But... Adam..." Kristopher said, eyes large and conflicted. "I want to be yours. But I... I cannot."

"Why then, Kristopher?" Adam asked, eyes flashing. "Are you too much of a coward to let it be known that your heart lies with a man?"

Kristopher flinched like he'd been slapped, and shrunk away. "No that's not why... I cannot... my father..."

"All the Lords of this land follow my father's laws," Adam snapped. "They would rejoice with me for finding a partner."

"Adam, you don't understand..." Kris said, dark eyes wide. "My father... My father is King Neil Allen."

Adam stood in complete shock at those words, lips parted in disbelief. Neil Allen was the ruler of the stretch of mountainous land South of his father's domain-- his kingdom was one of the harshest, where known gays were liable to be jailed, or killed on the streets. Relations between their countries had always been tense, and they became more and more so as time progressed.

Adam paused for only a moment before snapping his sword out of its gold-plated sheath, the tip pressed against Kristopher's throat.

"Why are you here?" Adam demanded, every muscle locked tight.

"No, Adam, your father knows," Kristopher stammered, hands flat against the stone wall behind him. "Our fathers made a deal so I could be trained here... land was transferred..."

"Please," Kristopher said, when Adam made no response, nor moved the blade. "I have told you no lies. I... I don't share my fathers views. I was told to stay to myself... but you made me want you so. I'm... I'm so sorry..."

Adam's hard mask abruptly crumbled, and he slid his sword back into it's sheath before folding the quivering boy in front of him into his arms.

"I could love you, Kristopher," Adam murmured after a moment, carding his fingers through the other boy's thick brown hair. "What kind of world is this in which I cannot have you?"

Kristopher could only cling closer to him in response, lips seeking out what would, in the end, be forbidden.

And, as they kissed, the figure that had been watching them from the shadows of the forest slipped away.

~

"I leave today for my estate, Adam."

Adam took in this announcement silently, looking out over the brook. He should have expected this.

"My father," Kris quietly continued, scuffing his boot against the ground, "has summoned me home. Our fathers relations have deteriorated further... he doesn't trust that I'll be safe here unescorted."

He paused for a long moment, debating his next words. "Also, he... he has found me a woman to court. Lady Kathryn. And I... I must go."

Adam looked over to find Kris' eyes sorrowful, and maybe a little pleading.

A sudden, sickening rush of bitterness washed over him then, directed at this boy, this boy to whom he had exposed himself like he had to no one before... the boy that was now leaving him to scrabble in the dust.

The gaze he returned was brittle, and bitter.

"Then that's how it must be," he said, voice clipped, turning and leaving without a backwards glance.

~

One Year Later

Adam brought Algernon to a stop before the iron gates of the capital city, the high grey-white walls stretching up towards the sky.

Adam exhaled, a smile on his lips. His father's crest, engraved upon the golden amulet around his neck, was a comforting weight against his breast. His knighting ceremony had been completed not but a day ago.

He was home.

He clicked his tongue, and Algernon passed the gates into the fair city, his hoofs clip-clopping merrily against the cobblestone road. The turrets of his father's palace were visible over the town's low-slung buildings.

His guard followed behind on their fine white steeds as Adam-- truly Sir Adam now-- led the way to the main plaza.

The plaza was ringed with people, clapping and shouting, rejoicing the Prince's return to their city. Young children stood on tiptoe on the rim of the fine marble fountain that was the centerpiece of the plaza, trying to see over the crowd.

Soon they were entering the palace's courtyard, and Adam took in the familiar surroundings with a smile-- a smile that widened when he saw his father descending down the granite staircase leading to the high arched entryway, Adam's mother on his arm.

Adam swung off Algernon as they approached, and embraced them.

"My son," his father said, smiling, "Welcome home." His face was perhaps more deeply creased with stress than when Adam had left him two years previous, but his expression now showed nothing but joy.

"Let us go and celebrate your knighting. A grand banquet has been prepared."

And so Adam was ushered into the palace of his forefathers, the city alive with the excitement of his return.

~

The next few days at the palace were a leisurely time of celebration and relaxation for Adam, as he again became accustomed to a life of grandeur.

He gradually became concerned, however, at his father's nearly constant absences. He usually roamed his palace and grounds at will, but now, the few times that Adam saw him in the great halls, he looked troubled and withdrawn.

The next day, after supper, Adam approached him about it under the great arch leading out of the dining hall.

"Father," Adam inquired, "What has caused you this distress?"

"I suppose it's time you knew, son," the King sighed, tiredly. "I didn't want to soil your homecoming. We have knowledge that King Allen has been sending messengers into our districts closest the mountains, trying to slyly cajole the Lords into friendship. We-- me and the Council, that is-- believe it may be the first steps of him trying to raise a revolt of my own people against me."

Adam looked up at his father, surprised. "He must know that those measures alone will never succeed."

"Perhaps not," his father agreed, "But this may signify a larger plan."

The King looked away, distracted. "If you'll excuse me, my son, I must organize a few scouts. Why don't you take a walk in the gardens? You're mother had added a score of pink roses."

With that he left, leaving Adam behind, troubled and remembering those days in The Camp he spent with a soft-eyed brunette.

~

The next day at breakfast, Adam picked at a grand platter of the finest fruits, not eating much. Sir Daniel, who had been part of his guard on his journey to the Capitol, had been shooting him glances all morning.

It was, frankly, becoming odd, so, after he was finished, Adam left the palace and headed out to the stables.

He entered Algernon's stall, rubbing the stallion's nose. Algernon snorted, nuzzling his snout into his ear, and Adam laughed, leading him out into the sunlight by the reins.

He stopped, however, when he saw Sir Daniel standing outside, beady eyes fixed on him.

"Sir Adam," he said, approaching. "I must speak with you, in private."

"Oh," Adam said, keeping the puzzlement off his face. "Very well then."

He followed Sir Daniel behind the stables, where the other knight turned and looked at him.

"The contentions with King Neil are worse than your father tells you," Daniel said. "War is approaching, if something is not done quickly. Your father has just left for the outer districts, to speak with the Lords. There is not much he can do."

He paused. "He has ordered me to tell you what you must do. It's the only way to stop this."

Adam listened to what was to be his task, stomach sickly flipping. The disgrace of King Neil, through Kristopher-- the boy that still lingered in his mind-- would need to be final.

And, unfortunately, Adam never saw the sly, furtive smile that crept across Sir Daniel's lips as he walked away.

~

Adam stood in the shadows of Kristopher's bedchamber, clad in a gauzy white woman's nightgown, head covered by a delicate hood. He could see Kristopher curled in the grand bed across the room, very much asleep.

He had been able to numb himself from his feelings before, but that sight sent his stomach churning.

Earlier that evening, he had been transported in utmost secrecy through the southernmost portion of his father's land, and into King Neil's. He had been mounted not upon Algernon, but instead a small, palomino. A small cart, attached to the horse, had been clunking along behind him.

After his guards had slipped away, getting into King Neil's capital city had proved to be easy enough, with a hooded cloak to keep his face hidden.

He had told the gatekeepers that he was a merchant delivering a load of apples to the palace, and that a broken wheel on his cart had delayed him. He had opened up one of the dozen baskets in the back and displayed the apples inside as proof. In reality, that was the only one full of apples. Ten of the dozen were empty, and the eleventh held the disguise he was now wearing.

Getting past the night guards and into the actual palace proved the most difficult aspect, but his stealth training at The Camp came through for him, keeping him silent and swift.

And now here was. He replayed through Daniel's instructions in his mind, quickly.

"Once you are inside, lie next to him. If he awakens, you must make him think that you are his Lady Kathryn. Then make a commotion, however you can. Just make sure someone sees you, who will appear to be Kathryn, and him together. For you see, the prince and the lady have not been wed. This, and what the people will assume took place, will disgrace him and the King. Because, as you know, a heir that has been discovered to have broken his lady's chastity before betrothal will never become King. Then you must run."

"Success is imperative, or else we will soon be drawn into war. Your father regrets drawing you into this, but he must."

Adam steeled himself before walking, whisper silent, across the floor towards Kristopher's bed.

He had just reached the side of it when the form on the bed stirred. Adam could see Kristopher's eyes open sleepily in the darkness, trying to focus on him. Adam's heart pounded.

"Kathryn?" Kristopher murmured, voice rough with sleep. "What are you doing here?"

Adam didn't give himself time to consider before he crawled onto the large, fine bed and straddled Kristopher. He hoped that the other man didn't notice that his form was in no way female, before he himself could think of some way of causing a racket.

He felt Kristopher stiffen below him in surprise, the hard curves of the other man's body laid out beneath him, and, just like that, he was hard and ready.

He lifted his weight a bit, hurriedly, so as not to alert Kristopher... but when the other man laid his hands against his thighs, outside the nightgown, the plan that had been forming in his mind crumbled.

He found himself paralyzed as the other man's hands wandered knowingly, up to his neck and into his hood, fingers curling into his dark locks.

"Adam," Kris murmured, pushing the hood back. "Why do you come to me, clothed as my bride?"

Adam's resolve snapped, then, and he leaned over the beautiful, sleep-tousled man below him, slipping his lips over Kristopher's sweet, soft mouth.

Kristopher opened beneath him, tongue sweetly teasing at his lips. The prince's hands slipped under Adam's long nightgown, pulling it over his head, removing his last disguise and revealing the simple riding clothes underneath.

"Why are you here?" Kristopher whispered, stroking gently at his chest.

"I...." Adam murmured, pausing. "I was sent to disgrace you, to...to avoid war between our countries."

"Would you have followed through?" Kris asked softly, his voice devoid of anger.

"I had convinced myself until I saw your face that I would," Adam murmured, stroking his soft, brunette hair back off his forehead. "But I would not. Could not."

He could see Kristopher's smile faintly in the dark and shadow, and he let himself be drawn down again and kissed, slowly and deliciously.

"Lady Kathryn is a beautiful woman," Kris said, after a long moment, dropping kisses along his neck. "But I do not love her. My heart has always lain with the young, strong prince that took me under his wing at the Camp."

"And I have looked at no other man since a fair prince stole away my breath," Adam murmured, lips moving sensually against Kristopher's.

Kristopher's callused fingers pushed up under Adam's shirt, slowly circling the stiff peaks of his nipples and caressing the muscular planes of his chest.

Adam unbuttoned Kristopher's silky nightshirt, kissing tenderly down his neck and across his collarbones, lush lips brushing across a nipple. Kristopher moaned in response, just the barest exhale, and pulled a sweet, lingering kiss from Adam's lips.

"Make love to me now, Adam," Kristopher breathed, fingertips tracing across the other man's chest. "Make me yours."

Kristopher's hands guided Adam where he wanted him to be, and, soon, Adam was nestled in behind him, their clothes removed with tender fingers or pushed out of the way. Kristopher was slick with sweet-scented lotion, moaning quietly from being prepared a few moments earlier.

"Adam," Kristopher murmured, eyes dark orbs in the night, craning his neck around to catch his lips as the other man spooned up closer behind him, lifting Kristopher's thigh and nudging against him.

Adam's mouth quieted Kristopher's breathy groans as Adam slowly slid his aching length into him, encasing himself in tight, slick heat.

Their bodies slid together in a slow rhythm in the darkness, Adam's hand slipping over Kristopher's body, fingers curling around his slick, erect member, fondling him in rhythm to his pumping hips. Kristopher quivered against him, fingers reaching back to scrabble at Adam's hip, pulling him in faster against him.

Kristopher began to tremble from head to toe as Adam continued to squeeze and caress his hardness, and, a moment later, slick waves of heat spilled over his fingers, Kristopher's muffled noises of pleasure swallowed by Adam's searching lips.

Adam reached completion with him a short moment later, shuddering waves of ecstasy radiating through his body as he released his seed deep inside his body and he nibbled his open, panting lips.

Neither were prepared when the door cracked open a moment later.

"Sir Kristopher, are you feeling well? I thought I heard--" a maid whispered, peeking her head through the door, before freezing, eyes wide.

Adam barely had time to rip himself out of Kristopher's body before she let out a ear-piercing scream, awakening much of the palace, and sending many running.

Adam had only just managed to pull on his discarded trousers before the first guard crashed through the doorway, not even pausing before pulling him off of the bed and delivering a crushing blow to his jaw that sent him sprawling, as the maid continued to shriek.

Adam looked up, jaw throbbing, a moment later, to see King Neil Allen himself rush through the doorway, robed in red satin.

"What the bloody hell happened here?" he demanded, voice booming as he took in the scene: The maid in near hysterics in the corner. A man kneeling on the ground, a half dozen soldiers poised over him. And oh lord, his son, obviously naked on the bed under the stained sheets he had tried to conceal himself with.

"I-I came in because I heard odd noises," the maid wailed, voice shrill and quivering. "And h-he, that despicable man was raping the prince upon his own bed!"

"Son," Neil gasped, looking at the frozen, wide-eyed figure on the bed for only a moment, before shouting for the guards to move and drawing his sword, intent on plunging it instantly into figure on the ground.

He stopped his swing short, however, as he recognized the young man, despite the bruise rising across his jaw and cheek.

"Prince Lambert?" he said, disbelieving. He was horrible to behold, then, as rage bubbled across his face.

"Guards!" he shouted. "Take this urchin to the dungeons! My son... he needs to be purified immediately."

"Kristopher, no!" Adam yelled, as the guards yanked him, struggling, upright. "Are you just going to let them--Tell them, Kristopher!"

But the young prince found he could say nothing, staring paralyzed and horrified as the guards dragged Adam from his bedchamber.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam couldn't help the emotion that flashed across his face, nor could Kristopher: Their eyes held identical expressions of horror and grief.
> 
> In a week's time, one would be made to die at the hand of the other.

After a hectic minute of struggle and shouting, Adam found himself being catapulted into a dark enclosure by the strong hands of a guard.

He landed sprawled across the hard stone floor of the tiny room, and the wooden door slammed shut behind him. The only light available was what little filtered through the tiny iron-barred hole in the door.

"Don't touch that one, Jack," Adam faintly overheard the King order, apparently speaking to the hunched, beady-eyed cell guard. "There will only be more trouble if you maim him."

Retreating footsteps. Silence.

Adam pulled himself into a sitting position against one of the rough-hewn walls, dropping his head between his knees. Kristopher had betrayed him. He'd let them take him here on accusations of rape, when Kristopher himself had asked for love.

"My whip and I can't have our way with you, you pretty thing," Jack giggled darkly, from the other side of the door. "But we can watch you tremble. The gallows may be awaiting their reward, I think."

Adam offered no reply, thinking of his father, his kingdom... the man he had loved with no restraints, and had returned his love with nary a word of protection.

~

Twelve immeasurably long, terrible days later, Jack opened the door to Adam's prison, the dim light cutting through the gloom to reveal a ragged, dull-eyed Prince.

"Out," Jack ordered, motioning out the door with a dagger in hand.

He was then escorted into the palace's great hall. Above him, marble columns supported an immensely high, arched ceiling. King Neil and his Queen were seated upon high thrones displayed on a low platform, smooth granite steps leading to their feet. Next to them, seated upon a smaller velvet seat, was Kristopher. Their eyes met fleetingly, and in that glance Adam saw the veiled shame, conflict and pain in those deep eyes.

Adam looked away, then, face hardened into a statue-like mask.

He was led to the center of the floor, before the King. Neil's advisers were all ringed behind Adam, seated at desks of shining maple.

"Prince Lambert," King Neil began after a long moment, voice controlled and authoritative. "You have been brought here to be sentenced for crimes of despoilment and molestation against my son."

Now would customarily be the time when the convicted would bow their head to the King-- but Adam refused, instead continuing to steadily gaze at him, eyes a burning shade of blue. To everyone save Kristopher, it must have seemed a declaration of him feeling no remorse for his 'crimes'-- when, in reality, he simply refused to entertain the idea that making love to a man that had asked for him, but was simply too much a coward to admit his deeds, was a crime. His face showed no fear, for he did not fear death.

"The customary sentence for such atrocities would be hanging," King Neil stated, "But during our recent councils, your father, King Eber, has assured me that that would have to end in him leading his armies in war against my nation."

He paused then, looking around the hall at the assembled people.

"But this must be settled. Our Councils have decided, after much debate, on this: You will return home for seven days, and, at the end of that period, you will return with your guard and your father. Then, the accused and the victim shall meet in a test of swordsmanship. You and my son shall fight for vengeance and for honor, in the name of your kingdoms, until one, by sword, claims victory over the other by death."

Adam couldn't help the emotion that flashed across his face, nor could Kristopher: Their eyes held identical expressions of horror and grief.

In a week's time, one would be made to die at the hand of the other.

~

Adam was escorted home that very evening by a half dozen soldiers of King Neil's army. They left him at the borders of his kingdom, and Adam rode alone to the capitol city.

This homecoming was silent and dim. No one gathered in the streets-- The common townspeople did not know of his plight, as of yet.

His father was waiting for him at the palace gate, and Adam dismounted the palomino, approaching the silent King. A deep sadness was in his eyes.

"Father..." Adam began, but Eber raised a hand to stop him.

"Go and sleep now," he said, motioning towards the great palace. "Tomorrow I'm calling a council in the dining hall, only me and the High Advisors. Explanations can be saved until then."

Adam bowed his head in acknowledgment. He may not have been guilty of rape, but he certainly had failed to follow his father's orders as Sir Daniel had dictated them.

Adam moved through the castle to his bedchamber, washing and changing before falling into his bed. Sleep would, however, evade him that night... and when it came it was fraught with half-formed nightmares of swords put to throats, and blood-- his or his opponents, he did not know-- spilling crimson across the grass.

~

Adam made his way into the dining hall after receiving his summons the next day, taking the red-satin lined chair that had been set for him, facing his mother and father.

"Son," King Eber said after a moment, inclining his head slightly towards Adam. "Is there truth in these accusations of defilement against Prince Kristopher?"

"I did not rape him, Father," Adam asserted, chin raised. "Kristopher himself asked me to love him."

He stood, addressing the advisers. "It was not my will forced upon him. Kristopher.... Kristopher simply refused to tell King Neil the truth behind the deeds."

He continued after a moment, turning back to the King. "You know, father, that I refuse to be ashamed for loving a man."

He paused, dropping his eyes. "I am, however, sorrowful that I loved a man promised to another, and for allowing my emotions to lead me to disobeying your orders."

"My orders?" Eber inquired, eyebrows drawn together in puzzlement. "What orders do you speak of?"

"Your orders regarding the plan to assure we went through no war, King," Adam replied, surprised. "You said that I was meant to disgrace him."

The King said nothing, but the puzzlement in his expression gradually turned to rage. Adam, thinking it directed at him, shrunk back from the mighty sight.

"Who told you that was my command?" his father asked, his fury barely contained behind his handsome face.

"Sir Daniel, fath--" Adam began, then stopped, eyes wide as saucers as the pieces clicked together, forming a hideous picture in his mind. "But... He lied to me," Adam breathed after a moment, shocked motionless.

Just then, a crash permeated the room. Adam whipped around to see Sir Daniel making a dash for the door, sword drawn, chair knocked to the floor behind him.

"Stop him!" Eber bellowed, and with that order a half dozen guards and knights fell upon Daniel, knocking his sword away and restraining him as he struggled brutally in their grip.

He was finally dragged, eyes wild with rage and madness, to the front of the room, before the King.

"What have you done, Daniel?" the King asked, voice low and deadly.

"Yes, your majesty," Daniel mocked, "I ordered that urchin, under your name, to go to Neil's palace and disgrace his son. I saw them at The Camp behind the dining hall a day long ago, declaring love and kissing like mates! It was revolting, and a sin you advocate! So I ordered him to go to Prince Kristopher's bedchamber to disgrace him, knowing that he would give in to his disgusting abnormalities in the princes presence. The best I had hoped for was the hangman's noose to rid this kingdom of the heir who would poison this country with the same perversion as you allow-- but look now! Now you, Eber, will watch your son fight and die!" He gave a mad laugh, eyes alight with crazed fury.

King Eber's wrath was horrible to behold, as he stood, seeming miles tall, from his throne. Adam looked down at Daniel in horror. Deceit... all of it.

Eber beared down on Daniel, eyes burning with such terrible fury that Daniel shrunk back, looking, for the first time, afraid.

"You will leave this land, now," he ordered, voice a deadly whisper that was somehow worse than if he had shouted. "I am serving you a great mercy. And, if you ever return, I will kill you myself."

Danny balked and ran from the palace, then, leaving the dining hall in raucous chaos.

~

Fifteen hectic, loud minutes later, King Eber ordered everyone to vacate the hall. Adam was still uncomprehending, eyes shocked and distant.

Once everyone had left, Eber approached his son and embraced him.

"My brave, brave son," he murmured. "I'm so sorry. I should have seen his treachery earlier."

"...Is there not some way to avoid my fate, father?" Adam asked, quietly, resigned already to the answer he knew would come.

"...No," Eber replied, voice weighted with regret. "Neil would not take my word for your innocence, distrusting me as he does. I... I cannot apologize enough, Adam."

Adam bowed his head tiredly, wandering out of the hall as his mind numbed, preparing to carry him through the next six days of wretched suspense.

~

The next few days were a personal hell for Adam. He alternatively found himself brutally wishing that the hours would melt away to that fateful day, to save him this awful waiting, and hoping, with an  
aching heart, that time would simply stop in its tracks, because he suspected that his misery now was nothing compared to what it soon would be.

Neither of those wishes were granted, however, as time continued to sluggishly stumble along.  
He stayed confined to his chambers for most of the week, talking to no one.

Occasionally, he would look across the room at the bright silver-gold gleam of his sword's sheath, and feel sick.

~

Come the morning of their departure, Adam rose from his bed, in which no sleep had come, and dressed in a fine midnight blue riding outfit, slipping on his leather boots and attaching his sheath and sword to  
his belt with numb fingers.

Breakfast was a silent affair between him, his father, and the selected guards. Adam was only able to choke down a few bites of an apple, despite the hollow feeling in his stomach.

One question alone buzzed around in his head like a bothersome, diseased fly: Would Kristopher really be willing to fight him, to kill him, even, just to avoid a declaration of sexuality?

Adam found that he didn't have an answer.

Adam retrieved Algernon from the stables as the guards readied themselves. When he entered the stall and began to lead the great horse out, Algernon, sensing his distress, pulled lightly at his collar with his teeth, whinnying softly.

Adam mounted him outside and joined the group of men on the stone path leading out of the city. He brought Algernon around beside his father, who was mounted on his majestic black stallion, Amos.

His father must have announced his plight to the people sometime earlier in the week, because the only signs of life in the city were the occasional distressed pair of eyes peeking out from behind window curtains.

~

Some time later, Adam and the rest approached King Neil's Capitol city. The gatekeeper directed them to follow around the great stone wall to the training clearing, wreathed by tall forest.

The woods would have under any other circumstance been cheerful-- The sun was bright and the birds were singing sweet melodies. Now, however, the beauty fell upon deaf ears, and all was gloomy and dark.

The clearing soon appeared before them, a large, oval-shaped break in the trees. King Neil and his guard stood at the far end, and, standing before them, looking lost, was Kristopher.

Adam's party approached, halting a a dozen yards away. Adam dismounted then, at the sign from his father, and faced Kris in the middle of the space between.

He was beautiful in the golden sunlight, his face carefully composed. His dark eyes, however, revealed pain, conflict, sadness.

"Let it begin," Neil announced, and Adam drew his sword from its sheath, as Kris did the same. Sunlight gleamed across the deadly blade.

They inclined their head, beginning to instinctively circle-- A gross reproduction of their first day together all that time ago, sparring in the sweet spring air.

Adam had a brief, frantic moment of thinking, how could he, Prince Adam Lambert, do this, how could he possibly do this... and then his sword instinctively flashed up to block Kristopher's first swing.

The next minute was a hellish blur of clanging metal and moving bodies, advance, recede, advance, recede. The birds, he dimly noticed, had stopped singing.

Kris was holding back, Adam could tell, only giving a fraction of what he could. It would be easy to overpower him-- but then, vividly, he was brought back to that night: soft caramel eyes looking up at him from the darkness a sweet, lusty, love-filled voice murmuring, "Make love to me, Adam. Make me yours."

The next time Kris swung, connecting with Adam's blade, Adam let his grip on the hilt relax. The blade flew out of his hand with a deadly clang, landing ten feet away in the lush grass.

Adam caught only a glimpse of the shock written across Kristopher's face before he slowly sunk to his knees before him, weaponless.

Surrendering himself.

Now, all he could hope was that Kristopher gave him the mercy of making his death quick and clean.

After a long moment's pause, Neil said, voice toneless, "Finish it, Kristopher."

The sword wavered in his hand, raised, steel glinting cruelly-- and then it fell to the ground before , metal striking earth with a dull thunk. Adam's eyes widened as he raised his face to look at Kristopher, who was gazing over at his stunned father.

"I.... I cannot," Kristopher said, voice quiet, faltering slightly.

"Father, that night... He did only what I had asked him to. I was only too much of a coward to assert my feelings. I... I love this man. You may call it corrupt, but..." He looked over at Adam, eyes soft with love he no longer would conceal. "I only wish to be with him."

His gaze dropped then, like he was expecting rebuke from his lover. "If... If he will still have me."

"Kristopher," Adam breathed, stunned and happy beyond words, standing and moving to him, not caring in the slightest who was watching as he took him into his arms, lips meeting and clinging, softly, sweetly. Adam's father looked on with joy, eyes glowing.

A few more soft presses of lips later, eyes hazy with affection, Kristopher looked up to his father. King Neil's face was expressionless.

"It is where I must be, Father," Kristopher declared. "I cannot marry Lady Kathryn. It is in his arms where I am content."

"You cannot love this man, Kristopher," Neil finally declared, face still motionless, "and to claim that you do is blasphemy. He is the enemy of our kingdom!"

"He is only our enemy because you make him so, father!" Kristopher cried. "He was deceived into entering my chambers, but he never harbored any ill against me. And I do love him. I would sooner run this sword through myself than give him up."

"You would give up your life and your position for him?" Neil scoffed, unsheathing his sword. "You bluff! So you have joined the ranks of my enemies as well, Kristopher."

"Never! I would never turn my sword against my kin," Kristopher pleaded. "But please, father, do not force my hand. Every drop of his blood spilled will be equalled by one of mine."

Neil's hand tightened on the hilt of his word, fingers flexing slightly. Kristopher refused to back down from his fierce gaze, sword poised now at the arch of his own throat.

"I will never understand the follies of your heart, Kristopher!" the king burst out, lowering his sword. Kristopher likewise lowered his own from his neck, hope emerging in his eyes. "But I will not cause the death of my own son. However, you must part now, whatever you may feel. There are many negotiations before us."

Kristopher's face alit with joy and realization, his eyes so bright that Adam couldn't resist turning him to steal another kiss.

"We must part now, my love," Adam murmured after a moment, the world clear and lovely around him once again. "But first.... Promise yourself to me, darling. Betrothal, my Kristopher, is what my heart yearns for."

"Yes," Kristopher agreed, pressing his smile into Adam's neck. "Yes, Adam. And one day we will rule our kingdoms as one."

"Yes," Adam murmured, lips finding his lover's once again as the forest rustled with life.

And so they parted, unsorrowed, for they knew they would soon meet again.


End file.
